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Wild Rice

It’s not all about brown rice! Think about whole
grains that are rich in protein -second to oats in fact with quinoa ranking
third. I’m talking about wild rice, with its pretty combination of red,
brown and black grains. It’s also packed with the lysine and the best
thing about it – it’s low in fat. Thanks to Wiki for the nutritional info
which is like the icing on the cake because I’m loving wild rice already with
just its nutty flavor and chewy-soft texture. So wild rice has become
omnipresent in our meals at times replacing good old white rice but it can be prepared in many ways one of which is as a salad mixed with all the good stuff like this:

Toast
almonds in a frying pan over medium heat, stirring often for 8-10 minutes or until
light brown

Transfer
to a large bowl.

Add
wild rice, green onions, edamame, carrots, and cranberries to the bowl with the
almonds and toss to combine.

Whisk
together olive oil, rice vinegar, honey, salt and pepper in a medium bowl
until well incorporated

Drizzle
over the rice mixture and toss to combine. Taste and season as needed with more
salt, pepper, and vinegar. Top with chopped cilantro, cover and chill for at
least one hour before serving

This is a happy union of
flavors, textures and freshness. Crunchy carrots and almonds; chewy-soft wild
rice, cranberries and edamame; the acidity in the rice vinegar tamed by a
little honey; a little salt and a little freshly cracked black pepper make up
the dressing then topped with green onions and chopped cilantro for freshness. I added toasted sesame seeds
and sesame oil when I made it for the first time which is really good but this
is a nice little deviation.